Gov. Brown Signs Law Requiring Cars Give Bikes 3 Feet of Clearance

A bill requiring drivers to give bicyclists 3 feet of clearance when passing was signed into California law Monday by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Promoted by the California Bicycling Coalition as “Give Me 3,” Assembly Bill 1371 was authored by Assemblyman Steven Bradford of Gardena. Its official name is the Three Feet for Safety Act.

Existing law requires drives to pass while keeping at a “safe distance,” but the new law establishes exactly what that distance is: 3 feet.

The city of Los Angeles — known for generations as a car-centric locale that presents difficult conditions for biking — sponsored the bill.

In recent years, enthusiasm for cycling in L.A. has been buoyed by the support of a growing activist community and that of politicians such at former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The city in 2010 launched a “Give Me 3” graphic campaign encouraging drivers to create a safe cushion between vehicles…